Even though Mother Properly Awarded Custody, Father Should Have Been Awarded Decision-Making Authority Re: Education
In affirming Family Court’s award of sole custody to mother, the Second Department determined the father should have been awarded decision-making authority for the child’s education:
When joint custody is not possible because of the antagonistic relationship between the parties…, it may be appropriate, depending upon the particular circumstances of the case, to award some custodial decision-making authority to the noncustodial parent…. The division of authority should be made in a manner intended to take advantage of the strengths and abilities of the noncustodial parent with respect to a particular dimension of child-rearing…. The Family Court’s determination that it would be in the child’s best interests to award the mother decision-making authority with respect to the child’s education is not supported by a sound and substantial basis in the record. The father researched educational options for the subject child at every stage of his schooling. Once the child started school and began receiving homework assignments, the father supervised his homework, took part in school-related activities, and remained involved with his schooling at every stage. The father contacted the child’s teachers regarding issues of concern. Jacobs v Young, 2013 NY Slip Op 04607, 2nd Dept, 6-19-13